Your Wedding Day Magazine
YWD Magazine was released last night at an industry exclusive party in Santa Barbara. It was a lovely evening with hors d'oeurvres and champagne hosted by The Wedding Gallery and Savvy Catering. I have been very excited about this magazine since it caught my eye early this year. YWD has been making strides since it's inception in 2003 to be fresh, relevant and to bring the top wedding artists of California together into one beautifully woven publication.
I actually had the privilege of contributing an article called 'Making the Most of Engagement Pictures'. After a couple of years shooting weddings and engagement pictures through the seasons I have found that the couples that I have done engagement sessions with are always warmed up and ready to go on the day of the wedding more than the others. The initial 'some-strange-guy-is-pointing-a-big-metal-object-in-my-face-anxiety' has faded and they begin acting like more like themselves and sometimes more like models. What I have more importantly observed from the couples I have had the engagement session with is that we are friends by the time the wedding kicks off and I turn from some-strange-guy-with-a-camera to 'our good photographer friend, Cameron.' that's what I really love about this job!!! I get to get into the lives of people by getting in touch with their hearts and love for one another. It really is a beautiful thing. Well, that really isn't all the article entails. I guess you will have to read it yourself to learn the importance of having the engagement session.
I am so excited about how awesome this magazine is that I bought a double-page ad to make a bold statement about my passion to photograph different styles of people in a story board. Both of these couples are my friends and former clients. David and Vanessa's engagement picture on the left seems to have more of a band-shot feel than the typical romantic playing on the beach at sunset engagement pictures. I actually tried to get them all kissy and cute, but soon realized what they were all about. Bestfriends who love each other deeply and who are just stinking cool. We got so many great artistic images of them just as they are! Jason and Hannah on the right hand side of the ad are actually old friends. Jason was my roommate years ago and invited me to go backpacking across Europe one summer where we met the lovely Hannah Paul. The moment Jason laid eyes on her his heart declared, 'I have met my wife'. A bit of emails and some long phone conversations months later led them into a relationship of sorts that landed Hannah here in the states to see if things would work out. Well, things most certainly did!
If you get the chance please go pick up a copy of Your Wedding Day as soon as you can. It should be released to bookstores such as Borders and Barnes & Noble in the next month or so. I am really excited about this magazine! Did I say that already?